The week in Canada: Oct. 27 – Nov. 2

The World Series, municipal elections, Wallendas walking across Chicago skyscrapers (above)–it’s not just The Walking Dead rocking broadcast schedules these days. In the States, shows are finally getting canceled, with three comedies (Bad Judge, A to Z and Manhattan Love Story) and one reality show (Utopia) getting axed. Here’s a look at the overnight estimates for the week of Oct. 27 through Nov. 2.

MONDAY

Municipal elections unsettled scheduled across the GTA so be warned about reading too much into an atypical night. CTV’s Gotham still managed 1,538,000 in the overnight estimates followed by Forever (1,095,000) and rock solid Castle (1,895,000). Global’s Monday prime went NCIS: Los Angeles (1,342,000), slumping sophomore Sleepy Hollow (696,000) and The Blacklist (1,396,000). City drew 841,000 with a new 2 Broke Girls followed by another tough outing for Vancouver comedy Package Deal (134,000). Scorpion jumped back up to 1,110,000. Over on CTV2, The Voice sang to 771,000.

CBC, disrupted more than most with election news updates, wisely went with a repeat of Murdoch Mysteries followed by another small audience for Strage Empire (241,000). Might there have been a better title for this series?

As always there was plenty of sports on a crowded Monday. Sportsnet had a Montreal/Edmonton NHL game (594,000). TSN drew an even bigger crowd with Monday Night Football (619,000).

TUESDAY

The night, at least in 2+, still belongs to Global with old reliable NCIS (1,990,000) followed by hot spin-off NCIS: New Orleans (1,910,000) and, to a lesser extent, Chicago Fire (1,199,000). CTV is right behind (and ahead in the demos) with The Flash (1,868,000) then Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (1,694,000) followed by Person of Interest (1,536,000). Over at CTV2, The Voice was heard by 660,000.

The crowded field is having an impact on CBC Tuesdays. This week, the Rick Mercer Report drew 656,000 in overnight estimates and 22 Minutes did 533,000. The Honourable Woman should be ashamed doing just 234,000. The Canadian Bachelor is bombing at City (296,000), slipping behind returns for Fox import Brooklyn Nine-Nine (322,000).

Game 6 of the World Series batted 579,000 on Sportsnet. Another 576,000 watched Toronto/Buffalo NHL action on TSN.  On Discovery, 447,000 took that Highway Through Hell. The Season 7 finale of Face Off on Space did 235,000.

WEDNESDAY

The battle between CTV and Global continues Wednesdays. CTV opened early at 7:30 with The Goldbergs (591,000) then straight into Arrow (1,164,000) followed by the still very popular Criminal Minds (1,895,000). I’m guessing Law & Order SVU at 10 was a repeat (559,000). Global countered with Survivor: San Juan (1,671,000) followed by (a repeat?) of Chicago PD (390,000) and rookie drama Stalker (1,247,000).

CBC held its share with Dragon’s Den (747,000) then saw Republic of Doyle slip to 446,000 as it winds down its six season run. City maintained its usual levels with Modern Family (721,000) followed by new comedy Blackish (528,000). The Mysteries of Laura managed 505,000 on CTV2. Ice Pilots NWT took off for its sixth and final season with 230,000 passengers on History. American Horror Story: Freak Show, did 75,000 this week on FX, with the cable net just finding its legs on Bell.

A lot of eyeballs were over on sports Wednesday. The 7th and final game of the World Series between San Francisco and Kansas City batted 1,252,000 fans on Sportsnet. TSN had a Raptor’s game vs. Atlanta with 236,000 in attendance.

THURSDAY

The big question was would The Big Bang Theory come roaring back to its old Thursday at 8 slot? It did, posting 3,481,000 overnight viewers to easily remain Canada’s most-watched show. The Millers did 1,359,000, just okay considering it is now a CTV/CBS simulcast. Losing 2.1 million viewers off your lead in is not good. The final season of Two and a Half Men premiered to 1,745,000 and the new comedy The McCarthys did 1,369,000. How to get Away with Murder inched down to 1,448,000 at 10.

Over on Global, it was Bones (1,542,000), Gracepoint (855,000) and the strong return of Elementary (1,392,000). City saw 744,000 welcome back Mom, followed by Scandal (350,000), a Shonda Rhimes drama that continues to under perform in Canada.

CBC found 560,000 interested in “The Cholesterol Question” on The Nature of Things. Doc Zone drew 399,000 at 9. CTV2 pulled typical numbers with The Vampire Diaries (250,000) and Reign (189,000).

FRIDAY

UPDATED: Halloween may have kept some younger viewers away from The Amazing Race (1,371,000). Grimm (840,000) and Blue Bloods (1,557,000) followed on CTV. Soon-to-be canceled comedies About a Boy (293,000) and Marry Me (224,000) kept the lights on for Hawaii FIVE-0 (1,233,000) on Global. At 10 p.m., Constantine slid week-to-week to 594,000.

Halloween did not scare any viewers away from CBC’s Marketplace (757,000), a Mercer repeat (501,000) or the fifth estate (513,000). Shark Tank did 500,000 on CTV2.

In sports, the Leafs drew 737,000 regional viewers to Sportsnet Ontario. TSN tackled 495,000 with a Hamilton/Ottawa CFL game. Sportsnet 360 slammed 170,000 down with WWE Smackdown.

SATURDAY

How is this Rogers/CBC hockey thing working out? The Hockey Night in Canada early East game between Chicago and Toronto drew 1,539,000 fans. That’s a good half-million less than what CBC typically pulled in past year on a Saturday night, although a) there’s more hockey competition on other (Rogers’ owned) channels now and b) more viewers are streaming games on other platforms. The West tilt between the Canucks and Oilers did 1,044,000. City’s NHL game Sportsnet with CFL football coverage, with 584,000 watching Winnipeg/Calgary and 553,000 sticking around for B.C./Edmonton. Orther sports did well, too; CTV’s Skate Canada International pulled 497,000 while The Masters curling finals drew 303,000 on Sportsnet.

In late night, a season high 532,000 tuned in to see Chris Rock and Prince headline Saturday Night Live.

SUNDAY

Vancouver-based Once Upon a Time led the night with 1,553,000 viewers on CTV. Resurrection followed (825,000) and then CSI (1,178,000). Global wedged in Mulaney (315,000) and Bob’s Burgers (405,000) early and then it was Madam Secretary (1,186,000), The Good Wife (1,006,000) and the pout-of-simulcast Simpsons (412,000) and Family Guy (247,000).

Heartland continues to amaze into its eighth season, drawing 1,069,000 overnight viewers at 7 p.m. That boosted Canada’s Smartest Person to a series high 628,000 on CBC at 8. Viewers left in droves at 9, however, ignoring import drama Janet King (175,000).

City’s “Hometown Hockey” netted 595,000 for a game featuring the Habs. Revenge followed with 404,000.

Way over on Discovery, 366,000 in Canada saw Wallenda walk across those Chicago skyscrapers. In sports, the Sunday Night Football game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh drew 531,000 to TSN, topping the afternoon CFL tilt between the Argos and the Al’s (463,000).